How Intersectional Threat Shapes Views of Gun Policy: The John Wayne Solution.

The article focuses on understanding opposition to gun control in the United States through an intersectional threat model, which posits that perceived simultaneous threats to multiple privileged identities—specifically gender, race, and citizenship—provoke distinct responses. Using data from the 2018 American National Election Studies, the authors find that perceived threats related to racial resentment toward Black Americans, concerns about immigration, and backlash against attention to sexual harassment independently and interactively increase opposition to background checks and assault weapons bans while increasing support for arming teachers. This intersectional threat is particularly pronounced among native-born white men but also affects other groups, suggesting that opposition to gun control can be seen as a performative defense of intertwined privileged identities, described metaphorically as the "John Wayne solution." The findings have implications for the political dynamics of gun policy debates and contribute to broader sociological understandings of modern gun culture and identity-based social movements.